Stand Strong
by Zoe Milex
Summary: We all know what happened to the golden trio during DH. But what about Hogwarts? Rated T to be safe.
1. Alone

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything**

**Alone**

Ginny stared blankly out the window of her father's new car.

They were gone. Ginny knew that, but she couldn't help looking over her shoulder, as if they would suddenly appear, laughing. As if the whole thing was a joke.

But as the car stopped and Ginny heaved her trunk onto the trolley, she finally accepted that it wasn't a joke.

They were gone.

And she was here, braving this new, cold Hogwarts alone.

* * *

><p>Neville nearly missed the train.<p>

He had woken late to his Gran shrieking for him to _'move or I'll hex you half-way to school!'_ As he stood on Platform 9 and ¾, he wondered if he could really make himself face a year without so many of his friends. Alone.

But when he opened the compartment door, he saw so many familiar faces. And he realized that maybe he wasn't as alone as he had thought.

* * *

><p>Luna hadn't realized how quiet it would be.<p>

She had been the first person to arrive, same as always, but instead of a steady growth of noise, the silence outside remained. In fact, it became deafening. Luna wondered for a moment if she would perhaps be alone this year.

But that moment passed quickly as a tired looking Padma Patil walked into the car, collapsing across from the eccentric girl. The twin smiled at Luna.

"It's looking to be a rather long year." She sighed.

Luna smiled. "But the longest years will pass easily if you're with friends." She replied.

* * *

><p>Seamus was in a foul mood.<p>

First off, his best mate was off who-knows-where, risking his life, while Seamus was stuck going to school. _School_. While Dean was being placed in mortal peril daily! Seamus grimaced. He should be out their by his friend, not here, cooped up on a train, staring moodily out a window.

But he was here. And Dean wasn't. That's all there really was too it, wasn't there?

Then Lavender and Parvati walked in closely followed by Ernie Macmillan. And for the first time, Seamus realized that there might be more to it than he had thought.

* * *

><p>Colin was scared.<p>

He stood nervously by the train as the Inspector checked his and Den's blood status. He felt Dennis trembling beside him, but Colin didn't dare comfort his brother, in case it gave them away.

The man glanced suspiciously at Dennis, who tried to pull on a calm face, but wasn't really successful.

"Pass." The man suddenly snapped, shoving the two boys towards the train. "In you go."

Dennis let out a tiny sigh of relief once the Inspector was out of earshot, and Colin gave him a brief, one-armed hug.

Dennis looked up at his brother and blinked. "This year is going to be very different, isn't it?" He asked softly.

Colin didn't answer, but he was sure that his thoughts were obvious in his eyes. This year would be more than different. As he looked around, he realized he and Dennis were the only muggle-borns there.

Dennis saw this too, and struggled not to cry. _Well,_ he thought bitterly. _That's one way to make us feel alone._

**A/N: Okay, this is my first attempt at a proper fanfiction. Yes, I know I have another, but this one was written first, therefore this is the first. Anyway, I'm basically going to do a bunch of drabbles about the same general time frame from different people's perspective during DH. If you have any people in particular that you want to see, please tell me! I'm half-way through chapter three, and I don't know whose POV to use.**

**Anyway, please review!**

**ZoeM**

**EDIT: Seriously people! All I'm asking is for you to click that little blue button! Just say if it was good or bad. You don't even have to say why! Please?**

**EDIT2: Thanks to LittleMissTake for being my first reviewer! And I actually hadn't realized they were all smushed together, so I fixed it. :)**

**EDIT3: If I can get one more review I'll post chapter 2 :)**


	2. The Great Hall Again

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

**Determined**

Ginny had made up her mind.

And once she had her heart set on something, no one could stop her, as Neville quickly learned. As he watched the fiery redhead dart around the Great Hall, whispering to their friends, he saw hope begin to appear in their eyes. When Ginny finally sat at the Gryffindor table, he looked at her questioningly.

She smiled. "The D.A. lives." was all she said before turning to the teachers' table.

Neville's eyes widened and he looked around the room. He saw determination lighting the eyes of many of the members, and he grinned. The year was starting to look less bleak.

* * *

><p>Ernie was nervous.<p>

It wasn't a new feeling to the boy, but this time felt different. This time, the nervousness was laced with excitement. He looked to his left and met the eyes of a determined Hannah Abbott. Ginny had walked up to the two of them a minute before and whispered "Meeting tonight, same place as always." That was it. Both Ernie and Hannah understood at once. Now Ernie was feeling the strange mix of fear and hope.

But as he looked at Hannah next to him, and then the empty seat across from him, where Justin usually sat, he finally found his strength, and the fear started to dwindle. He would make it through this year. He would do it for Justin, and everyone else who couldn't be here. And if he didn't, he would bring the bad guys down with him.

* * *

><p>Snape shifted in his seat.<p>

He would never admit it, nor did he show it, but he was frightened. Frightened for himself, yes, but mostly for the students in front of him. He saw the Weasely girl sitting beside Longbottom and across from the Finnigan boy, who looked rather desolate without his dark friend next to him.

As he stood to make his announcement, he saw disgust on the faces of many students below him, and he knew he deserved it. He was disgusted with himself most of the time.

But as he stood and looked down at the faces he had seen for years, the faces of those he didn't even really like, he knew that he had to stay strong. He had to stay hated, if only to protect those in front of him.

* * *

><p>Terry Boot was shaking in his seat.<p>

He wasn't sure if it was from anger, fear, or what, but he was shaking, and he felt an urge to do something. Something big. Something that would show just how pissed he was at the figure standing where Dumbledore had once stood.

The Ravenclaw glared at Snape, and a sudden idea formed in his head. It wasn't an original idea, or even a very smart one, but that was the idea in his head, and he made the snap decision to act.

Mid-way through Snape's speech, he leapt up. "How dare you stand there like nothing happened?" He shrieked, not really thinking before he let the words escape. He realized, to late, that there were Death Eaters sitting at the table. But Terry was determined to finish what he had started. "How dare you stand in the place of the man you murdered?"

There was a stunned silence. Then another voice echoed through the hall. "Yeah, what gives you the right? Murderer!" Seamus Finnigan snapped.

Terry heard others beginning to join in, and he smiled. It wasn't anything big, but he felt he might have made some difference. And to him, that difference was what could keep him going through the year.

**A/N: Thanks to tardisgater for being my last review! Here's chapter two! And chapter three is nearly finished, whould be up within two weeks :)**

**EDIT: I posted this in a rush yesterday, so I've fixed it so the drabbles don't run together :)**


	3. Planning

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine :(**

**Planning**

Neville couldn't believe how many people had shown up to the meeting.

He saw Ernie and Hannah chatting quietly about something in one corner, Michael Corner with the Creevey brothers in another. Colin looked exhausted, and Dennis's eyes were red- a sure sign the 14-year-old had been crying. Neville wondered what had happened. The Creevey's _had_ come in later than the others…

Ginny brought him out of his speculation.

"We're just about ready." She said quietly.

Neville had no idea what Ginny had planned, but whatever it was, it was bound to get both her and whoever was involved into major trouble, that much was certain.

"Ready for what?" Neville asked her, doubting he would get a straight answer.

He was right. "Oh, you know." Ginny waved her hand evasively before hurrying off to interrupt the Creeveys' conversation.

When she returned, she nodded. "Ready if you are."

Neville shrugged. "I guess I am."

* * *

><p>The Creeveys nearly hadn't made it to the meeting.<p>

They had gone later than the other Gryffindors because Colin had wanted to grab his camera from his bag, claiming that 'The kids who aren't here will want to know what happened.'

The two had slipped out of the common room maybe five minutes after the others, but five minutes was all it took.

The brothers were halfway to the Room of Requirement when they bumped into Mrs. Norris. The caretaker's cat had stared them down with wide red eyes, pushing them to quicken their pace. But the two hadn't gone more than a few feet before running into more trouble.

"So, thought you could get away from us, hmm?" Alecto Carrow leered down at the two startled Gryffindors.

"No, thought you'd be to dumb to recognize us." Colin corrected bravely.

In a moment, he was on the floor screaming with Alecto grinning manically.

Dennis couldn't take it. "STOP!"

And to the young boy's shock, Alecto raised her wand and Colin went limp on the ground, breathing hard.

"Stop?" The Muggle Studies' professor's voice was deadly. "You dare order me to stop?" Her voice increased to a sort of hysteria. "What blood status are you, to order me around like that?"

On the ground, a newly conscious Colin very nearly spit that they were Mudbloods, and to suck on that. But Dennis saw his brother's plan in the older boy's eyes, and he quickly intervened.

"Half." He said. "You can check if you want."

Alecto grinned. "Don't mind if I do. Oh, and little Creevey," She added over her shoulder. "Detention."

* * *

><p>Michael Corner was the first to learn of the Creevey's interception.<p>

"And you're sure you're okay?" He asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I told you, yes!" Colin sighed, exasperated. The kid was holding up pretty well despite having just been Crucioed. Dennis, on the other hand, was in complete despair; he was constantly reaching over to his brother, as if he had to make sure Colin was there.

"Hey, do you mind if I butt in?" Ginny asked, sticking her head in between Michael and Dennis and nearly giving the latter a heart attack.

Ginny looked at Dennis, who smiled sheepishly. "Why were you guys late? Anything interesting?"

Colin grimaced. "Not sure you would call it _interesting_, per say…" He grumbled.

Ginny didn't seem as shocked as Michael had when Colin explained the brother's little escapade in the hall. Instead, she nodded sadly, checked that both boys were all right, and then ran to the front of the room.

"Attention!" She yelled, waving her arms animatedly so that everyone would see her. "I'd just like to mention Terry's bravery in the Great Hall today. That was something we all needed to hear." She smiled at the blushing Ravenclaw, who was being pat on the back by his housemates.

"Seamus helped." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"Secondly," Ginny continued, "I'd like to discuss the Carrows. Colin, Dennis, could you tell them what you told me?"

Dennis turned redder than Terry had when all eyes turned to him, but Colin simply nodded and grinned.

The room was absolutely silent when Colin finished recounting the tale.

Then…

"Bloody hell! They can't do that!"

"Rotten Death Eater!"

"Filth! Arses!"

Ginny had to shout to be heard over the outcry. "Yes, yes, they're awful people! But," She returned to her normal voice as the noise died down. "We aren't here just to get mad. We're here to fix it." She grinned at the assembly in front of her. "Any ideas?"

**A/N: Okay, this is going to be my last update for a while. I actually have a few other chapters done, but I am going to be super busy until school starts again, and then, well, school is starting. So I can't promise when chapter four will be up, but I'll try to post it ASAP!**

**ZoeM**


	4. Restless

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

**Restless**

Seamus couldn't sleep that night.

The meeting kept replaying in his head. There had been a fair few ideas, but nothing that could be done on a whim. Everything needed planning.

_We need more people like Terry._ He thought, remembering the other boy's eruption in the Great Hall.

Seamus turned over on his bed for what felt like it must have been the millionth time. He stared at the empty bed across from him, and, feeling sick, turned over again. Dean would know what to do. Dean always knew what to do.

Before Seamus could crumble into the depths of despair, he looked over at Neville, oddly quiet. Seamus realized that the other boy was probably still awake as well.

"It's too quiet." Neville said.

Seamus agreed. The emptiness in the dorm was pressing on his ears, making him feel claustrophobic.

"I'm going for a walk." He announced suddenly, thrusting his sheets off of himself and swinging his feet to the floor.

"Where are you going? The Carrows are probably still about, and if not them then Peeves and Filch, both of who would gladly turn you in."

Seamus shrugged, pulling on a pair of socks, and then rooting around under his bed for his shoes.

Neville watched him quietly. "It's bothering you too, huh? Colin's story."

Seamus tensed but kept searching.

Neville continued, either oblivious to his friend's uneasiness, or ignoring it.

"You can't help thinking that if they'd do something like that to a mouthy sixth year, who knows what they could do to us who cause actual problems."

Seamus spun on him. "What do you know about it?" He hissed angrily. "You don't get it! I don't _care_ what they do to me: I can take it. But unlike you, I have a friend outside of school, and I don't know where he is, or what he's doing, or even if he's alive! So yeah, it's bothering me, but only because I'm realizing just how bad things could get for Dean. If I was with him, maybe…" he choked, sinking back down onto the bed.

All Neville could do was walk over to his friend and rub his back gently as Seamus finally let himself cry.

* * *

><p>Terry was scared.<p>

He continued turning over in his bed, much to the annoyance of his dorm mate Anthony, who had chucked a pillow at him earlier. But Terry couldn't help it. He was terrified.

His mind kept racing back to the Creeveys' story, and the same question played over and over in his head. _Why didn't they do that to me?_ It would have been so easy. So why?

Despite all his superior Ravenclaw knowledge (as his friend Susan often jokingly put it), he couldn't find a suitable answer.

No, that was a lie.

He could find an answer, but it frightened him, and he wanted to believe that there was a different answer, one he just wasn't seeing yet.

But no other answer offered itself up, and Terry was slowly, very slowly, beginning to accept that the reason the Carrows hadn't cursed him in the Great Hall was that they had something worse in mind for him.

* * *

><p>Hannah had been staring at the ceiling nearly all-night, but no new ideas were forming.<p>

She had been trying to come up with someway to resist during her first day with the Carrows, but nothing was presenting itself, and she was getting tired.

"Are you still up?"

The question was barely a whisper, but Hannah heard it perfectly in the silent dorm.

"Yeah."

Susan sat up and turned to face Hannah, careful not to wake the other two girls that shared the room with them.

"I can't stop thinking about Dennis." The redhead whispered, inching across the room to sit by her fellow D.A. member.

"Dennis?"

Susan nodded. "He was terrified. Didn't you see his face? The poor boy… and he has detention too."

Hannah blinked. Colin hadn't mentioned that part of the story. "How do you know that?"

Susan shrugged. "I went over to him after the meeting to make sure he was alright."

Well Hannah knew _that_. Ernie practically worshipped her roommate, and of course had started pouting when he saw Susan giving the younger Creevey a gentle hug.

"So he has a detention? Why didn't he mention it?"

Susan shrugged. "He's scared."

Hannah smiled wryly. "Aren't we all?"

**A/N: Wow, I actually got on before September! Yay! So anyway, this is _definitely_ the last update before school. I have up to chapter nine on my laptop, but I'm not finished editing, so no posting those yet! Anyway, I want to give a special thank you to tardisgater, who ALWAYS reviews my chapters and makes me happy :)**

**Okay, I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those annoying authors who begs for reviews, but I'm realizing now how good they make me feel. So even if you don't have anything good to say, review! I could use your feedback :)**

**Thanks,**

**ZoeM**


	5. First Days

**First Days**

Neville was having trouble concentrating in class. And only half of the problem was his lack of sleep.

The other half was a deep-seated worry that he had accumulated earlier in the day, during the 7th year Gryffindors' first Dark Arts class.

Neville had been the third one to class, arriving only after Pansy Parkinson and Lavender Brown, who were also surprisingly early. In fact, almost everyone had made it on time. Everyone that is, except for Seamus. The Irishman had darted into the classroom maybe 30 seconds late, and before the teacher. But Amycus Carrow saw him slide into his seat and take out his books.

"Why were you late, Finnigan?" He asked softly.

"Technically I could ask you the same." Seamus had responded boldly.

Neville had winced, expecting Carrow to curse his friend, but instead the Professor merely hissed "Detention" and carried on with the lesson.

Now Neville was convinced that 'detention' must be a million times worse than being cursed, and it was blocking his concentration.

Once Charms let out, Neville pulled Seamus to one side.

"Hey, you alright?"

Neville was surprised that Seamus had asked _him_ that. "Huh?" He responded.

"You're really pale." The other boy said. "What's wrong?"

"I… I'm worried!"

"About what?"

"About you!" Neville said in shock.

Seamus shrugged. "It's just a detention. I expect it won't be too bad. And anyway, Terry and Dennis are going to be serving time with me, so I'll be with friends."

Neville was still uncomfortable with this reasoning, but Seamus had hurried over to the Patil twins and started talking to them before Neville could get another word in.

* * *

><p>Lavender Brown had been strangely silent the entire day.<p>

Normally, she would have raised her hand at least once in every class, like she had promised her parents she would when they fist sent her to the school, but on the first day of her seventh year, she hadn't said a word in class.

Of course, that didn't stop her from talking at lunch. And she had a _lot_ to say.

"I can't believe them!" She cried, sitting down between Parvati and Seamus at the Gryffindor table.

Neither of them asked her whom she meant. It was rather obvious.

"I just got out of Muggle Studies," she began, and Romilda Vane suddenly interrupted from her place across the table.

"You've been to Muggle Studies? I didn't realize any Gryffindors had that before lunch."

Lavender shrugged. "Well I have, and I just got back from it and it was awful!"

Seamus, Parvati and Romilda leaned in as Lavender described the class.

"For one thing, all that Carrow woman talked about was how filthy muggles were, and how we need to put them in their place!" She whispered, starting to worry that someone would overhear them. "For another, she actually picked out the half-bloods in the class and forced them to say bad things about their muggle parent!"

Seamus winced, and Lavender looked over at him, worried, but he waved her off.

"And, Anthony Goldstein got a detention fro refusing to insult his mum." She continued.

Seamus grinned. "The more the merrier."

Lavender shook her head. "Actually, his detention is tomorrow during one of his free blocks, though I don't know how that's going to work since Alecto has class."

"What about Amycus?" Romilda offered. "Is he free?"

Parvati was the one who answered. "No, I have Dark Arts with him."

The others looked at her questioningly.

"What? I was talking with Anthony earlier."

The others nodded and the group continued speaking in hushed tones. Seamus told them about his detention, and Romilda said that Ginny Weasley had been hexed in their Dark Arts class. But before she could tell them why, lunch ended and they had to run to their respective classrooms.

Lavender didn't say a word for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Ginny woke up after Dark Arts on the floor, surrounded by worried dorm mates, as well as several Hufflepuffs.<p>

"What happened?" She asked cautiously, wincing at a pounding pain in her head.

One of the Hufflepuff boys handed her a bottle of water that he had summoned from somewhere.

Ginny accepted it gladly as fellow Gryffindor Romilda told her what she was doing on the floor with a pounding headache.

As Romilda told it, Carrow had told her to perform an imperious curse on the Hufflepuff boy who had given her the water, whom she learned was called Samuel Victor, and she had refused, saying that the imperious was a curse she would never need to know, as only weaklings and losers used it.

In anger, Carrow had said that if she wouldn't demonstrate, then he would have too. He had proceeded to Imperious Ginny, and made her do several painful things, which Romilda refused to recount. When he was done, he had left Ginny in a pile on the floor, and had instructed the others to perform the Imperious on each other.

"Sammy refused too." Romilda said. "Not pretty."

Several people winced, and for the first time Ginny realized that Samuel was steadily bleeding from an ugly gash on his side.

"I'm fine." She said, struggling to sit up. "You should get that looked at."

Sam nodded quietly. One of the other Hufflepuffs supported him out of the classroom as the other students returned to their seats to get their things, Ginny among them.

As she hurried to lunch, she ran into Luna, who was staring up at a pair of shoes hanging from the rafters.

"I never did get those back." The eccentric girl mused, twirling her wand as if debating whether to levitate her belongings down, or to let them become part of the decorations.

"Oh leave them." Ginny said, dragging her friend into the Great Hall. "They probably don't fit you anymore."

The girls found Neville sitting a little way down from Seamus and Parvati, and Ginny plopped down across from him, forcing Luna into the seat beside her.

"Okay, so anything new on the Carrows?" Ginny asked Neville.

The older boy shook his head. "Nothing that we didn't already know."

Luna gave him a questioning look, seemingly unworried that she was practically across the Hall from the Ravenclaw table.

"You know, that they're jerks who enjoy torture and the pain of defenseless people."

"Yeah, we do already know that." Ginny sighed.

"Well," Luna said, drawing her friends' attention. "They don't seem to be very deep people you know? From what I've heard, that's all there is too them."

Ginny blinked. "Right. That's actually probably true."

Luna smiled. "They also have wrackspurts in their heads, so they probably don't think much."

Ginny blinked again, but this time was not with realization. "Right. Anyway, who've we got on the detention list?"

"Terry, Dennis, Seamus, and Anthony." Neville listed.

Ginny nodded. "We have to ask them what the Carrows _do_ in these detentions, so we can start preparing for them, maybe even counteract them."

Neville nodded, then the three of them split to go to their respective classes.

On her way to Charms, Ginny was forced to pass the Hospital Wing. She glanced in and saw Madame Pomfrey fussing over a stunned second year girl in one of the beds, and Samuel lying quietly on another. The Hufflepuff boy saw her passing and gave her a weak smile, though it looked forced.

Ginny nodded to him before continuing. But her mind still lay in the Hospital Wing.

_We'll stop them._ She told herself. But her brain got the distinct feeling that she was lying.

**A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter! Again, I don't know when the next one will be up, what with school starting on Monday. So I'm going to be using a few OCs in the story (okay, maybe more than a few...) just so everyone knows.**

**Thanks!**

**ZoeM**


	6. Detention

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything D:**

**Detention**

Terry was late.

He had been putting off going to the Dark Arts room for as long as possible, and now he was late for the detention.

As he pushed open the door, a repulsive sight met him.

Amycus Carrow was sitting behind his desk, smiling grotesquely. In front of him, Dennis crouched beside Seamus, crying softly. Seamus was doing his best to comfort him.

Terry forced himself to keep his face clear of emotion. His earlier terror was quickly being replaced by anger, but he didn't want Amycus to see that he'd gotten to Terry.

Amycus stood. "So glad you could join us Mr. Boot." He said the phrase easily, as if they were friends.

"Sorry to be late. I hope I didn't cause any problems?" Terry replied evenly, in the same tone.

"Not at all." Amycus said. "_You_ were perfectly fine." Here he glared at Seamus. Terry wondered what the other boy had done to get Amycus madder at him than the teacher already was.

Seamus grinned and mouthed '_batbogey hex_', and Terry couldn't stop a smirk from flickering across his face. Served him right.

"Now then, since Mr. Boot has decided to finally arrive," Carrow said, "The detention can begin. Mr. Creevey, if you could come over here?"

The tone of voice left no room for refusal, and the teen meekly scurried over to the Death Eater's side.

Carrow left the small boy standing awkwardly in the center of the room, and strode over to Seamus, grabbing him roughly and forcing him up off the floor and away from Dennis.

Terry stood nervously a few feet from the terrified fourth year. What was Amycus doing?

Once he and Seamus were a good few feet from the others in the room, the Dark Arts teacher turned to the Ravenclaw boy.

"Now Mr. Boot." He said. "As you are a pureblood, I am willing to overlook your little outburst in the Great Hall."

Seamus hissed something rather uncomplimentary at that statement, but Carrow ignored him.

"However, I do need proof that you do not intend to do it again."

Terry was beginning to worry again as the teacher spoke.

"So, you are going to perform the Crutacius Curse on Mr. Creevey here."

"Not bloody likely!" Terry cried, and Seamus echoed him closely.

Suddenly, Seamus was on the ground screaming. Carrow looked up at Terry calmly.

"If you don't," He said quietly, releasing Seamus from the curse, "I will continue cursing Mr. Finnigan here."

Seamus struggled to a sitting position, breathing hard.

Carrow didn't look at him. The man's eyes were locked on Terry's.

Terry turned to Dennis. The kid was struggling to hold back tears. Terry wrestled with his decision.

Carrow frowned and flicked his wand again, and again Seamus was on the ground writhing.

Still, Terry hesitated. Surely not even the Carrows would torture someone to insanity? But as he watched Seamus's struggles become feebler, he became less sure.

Dennis was the one who eventually made up his mind for him.

"Just do it Terry!" He cried, tears falling openly now. "Just curse me!"

Terry took in a sharp breath, and then slowly raised his wand.

Carrow grinned evilly, loosening his hold on his own wand. "Go on, you heard him."

Terry breathed again, and then slowly, hating himself, whispered the word.

"Louder boy! You have to mean it!" Carrow hissed, raising his wand yet again.

Terry nodded weakly. He thought about the Carrows and how awful they were, trying to reclaim some of his earlier anger. Finally, he managed to conjure enough to properly perform the curse.

As he watched Dennis twitching on the floor, he could feel Amycus's smile burning into his back, but he didn't turn to look.

"Good job."

Terry shivered as the teacher spoke. He didn't want to be told 'good job' by a Death Eater.

"You may go now."

Terry quietly walked over to Dennis and scooped the smaller boy up in his arms. He then levitated Seamus out of the door, never once looking at Carrow's face.

He felt sick as he sat in the Hospital Wing, waiting for news. He had the distinct feeling that he had lost that day.

It wasn't a pleasant thought.

* * *

><p>Amycus Carrow watched Terry leave with a sick sense of victory.<p>

He allowed himself to bask in the feeling for a moment, then shook off his smile and turned to his desk. His sister had warned him that another detention was in store for Mr. Goldstein, and he needed to plan for that.

He frowned, thinking. The most obvious was to simply curse him for demonstration. But that wasn't any fun. He thought about whom he had in class that day, and, slowly, a plan began to formulate in his mind.

_Yes,_ he thought, starting to grin again. _That ought to be worthy of the Dark Lord's follower._

**A/N: I'm not as happy with this chapter, but whatever. Oh, and don't expect something big from Amycus. He's an idiot, you must remember.**

**ZoeM**


	7. The Slytherin Common Room

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

**The Slytherin Common Room**

Pansy's first day had been awesome.

For one thing, the Carrows were teaching things that she had known her whole life, so it looked like she would be getting good grades. For another, Draco was talking to her again! During sixth year it felt like he had been pulling away, but now he was acting like nothing had happened, and Pansy was perfectly happy to do the same.

Her spirits jumped a bit more when she saw Theodore Nott sitting by the fire. She had become much closer to him and Blaise last year while Draco was doing… whatever he was doing.

He looked up at her, hopeful at first, and then dejected when he saw who she was. "Oh, hey Parkinson. What do you want?"

Pansy was affronted by his tone. "Good to see you too." She grumbled, sitting down next to him.

Theo smiled wanly. "Sorry. I was expecting someone else."

Pansy was curious. "Who?"

He turned pale. "None of your business!"

Pansy was still interested, but she backed down. Nott rarely had secrets, so whatever this was it must be important to him. Pansy respected that.

So instead of pestering him for more information, as she might have done with Blaise or Draco, she shrugged and stood. "Well, I guess you don't want me around then."

Theo smiled apologetically, and Pansy smiled back, turning towards the dorms and leaving Theo to wait for whomever he was waiting for.

She entered the room she shared with Millicent and Abigail, noting that neither girl was there, and sat down on her bed, flipping open her Muggle Studies book and beginning to read.

This year was going to be perfect.

* * *

><p>Blaise was the next to walk in on Theodore's vigil.<p>

He glowered at the other boy's head as he strode past. He had never liked Theodore. He only put up with him because Pansy liked him, and Blaise liked Pansy. A lot.

He didn't get halfway to the door when Theo stopped him. "Hey Zabini. I've been waiting for you."

Blaise grimaced at the floor before putting on his game face and spinning to face the other boy. "What is it Nott?"

The other boy had stood up, and was walking towards Blaise. "Not here." He said, and gestured towards the door.

Blaise understood immediately. Here, anyone could walk in on their conversation. He frowned. "Where then? Our dorm isn't exactly Fort Knox."

Theo nodded. "I know, I've got somewhere better." He headed for the door, and, checking to see that Blaise was following him, stepped into the hall.

The two boys made their way across what felt like half the castle before Theo stopped. He proceeded to carefully check the corridors, and then tapped the portrait in front of him with his wand, whispering words that even Blaise, standing just a few inches away, couldn't hear.

A pretty young girl appeared in the portrait. She looked at Nott and smiled, then frowned at Blaise and said a few soft words to Theo, who shook his head and mumbled, "He's a friend, we can trust him."

The girl nodded and her portrait swung forward for the two boys the way the Fat Lady did for the Gryffindors.

"What the…?" Blaise looked around in wonder. Behind the girl's picture was a whole other room.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Theodore said, grinning in spite of himself.

Blaise clamed up. "Yeah, it's fine." He said. "What did you want to talk about?"

Theodore bit his lip, as if he was unsure how to continue. Finally, he spoke.

"It's about the Dark Lord."

* * *

><p>Theo had wrestled with the problem all day.<p>

He knew it made the most sense to talk to Draco, since he actually _knew_ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. But Theo didn't know Draco well enough to be comfortable spilling his guts to him. He had thought about maybe asking Pansy, but then decided against it. He didn't want to put pressure on her or give her a reason to worry.

He had spotted Blaise at dinner, and the answer had hit him like a ton of bricks. Duh! How had he not seen it before? Theo considered Blaise a good friend, and surely _one_ of his fathers had been a Death Eater? Even if that wasn't the case, he was relatively close to Malfoy, so he probably knew enough to help Theo.

But when it came time to tell him, Theo hesitated. He didn't know how Blaise would react. He never knew how anyone would react. That's why he tried to stop himself from having many social interactions. He was regretting it now.

He watched the other boy carefully as he told him what his problem was about, worried that Blaise wouldn't want to listen.

Theo saw Blaise stiffen as the title fell from his lips. The other boy licked his lips cautiously, and then spoke. "What about him?"

Theo was relieved. He would listen. Now that he knew that, everything that had been building up in him for the past few weeks came flooding out.

"I don't want to be a Death Eater! But all my dad ever says is how I _have_ to be one, and how he'll be _so proud_ of me when I get my mark, but I don't want any of it! I'm sick of Death Eaters, sick of Voldemort, sick of being sick of things!"

Blaise looked shocked when Theo blurted out the name, but he didn't interrupt.

"I just… I'm scared. If I don't become a Death Eater, what happens? Obviously, my dad'll hate me… and the Dark Lord won't be too happy…" He looked at Blaise with pleading eyes. "I don't know what to do." He suddenly felt exhausted, and he sunk into a chair that had been sitting patiently behind him.

Blaise bit his lip. "I'm not sure that I'm the person to talk to about this…" He began. "But from the sound of it, you're stuck between living and being miserable, or defying your father and probably dying."

Theodore nodded miserably. "Pretty much."

Blaise sighed. "Well that isn't much of a choice…" He grumbled.

Theo nodded again. "I just needed someone too talk too." He mumbled. "You don't have to pay me any mind."

Blaise contemplated the offer for a moment, but he finally shook his head. "Nah. I'm emotionally invested in this now." He sighed.

Theodore immediately felt guilty. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

Blaise shrugged. "If you hadn't, it would have eaten you alive." He said.

Theo nodded again. "I suppose."

The two boys sat quietly for a while. Finally Blaise stood. "Well, if that's all?"

Theo grinned weakly. "Yeah."

He watched the other boy leave, and then leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. This was going to be a long year.

**A/N: Okay, not really happy with this chapter either. It was edited at around three in the morning, so if you spot something it would help a ton if you could tell me :) I will try to have the next chapter up by next Saturday.**

**Until then,**

**ZoeM out ;)**


	8. Of Speeches and Discovery

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :(**

**Of Speeches and Discovery**

Seamus woke up with a screaming headache, a dull pain across his entire body, and two other people in the beds on either side of him.

He struggled to sit up and see who they were, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, forcing him back onto to the bed.

"Don't push yourself." The boy on the right said.

Seamus would have grinned when he discovered who the boy was, but the realization that Neville was probably there because the Carrows had gotten to him made the Irish boy even more miserable than he already was.

"What happened?" Seamus asked.

Neville hesitated. "Well, the Carrows cursed you pretty bad. You've been out cold for a day or so."

"I wasn't talking about me, but thanks for the information. So what happened? And who's that?" He gestured to the other boy.

Neville sighed. "That's Anthony. And as for what happened…"

* * *

><p><p>

Neville wasn't sure what to expect when he entered Dark Arts that day, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty.

Terry had reported everything that had happened in the detention once he was released from the hospital wing, and Neville wasn't sure what to make of it. Forcing students to curse each other? It wasn't surprising, but Neville still found himself shocked at how awful the world could be.

The Gryffindor girls had made quite the fuss over Dennis when the fourth year had been released from Madame Pomfrey's care. He had been shocked and rather shy about the attention at first, but slowly warmed up to it, allowing himself to hug the girls back and to cry a bit for effect.

At least, Neville hoped it was for effect.

As he settled into his seat beside Lavender, he wondered what was in store for them that day.

Amycus Carrow strode into the class late, as always.

"Now class, yesterday we discussed the Imperious Curse, as I hope you remember." Carrow said. "Today we will be putting that aside and will instead be working on the Cruciatus Curse."

Neville stiffened, as did every other Gryffindor in the room. He also noticed a few Slytherins looked uncomfortable with the idea, most notably Theodore Nott.

"Now, could someone please tell me the incantation for the Cruciatus curse?"

Pansy Parkinson's hand flew into the air in true Hermione fashion, drawing a few smiles from the Gryffindors around her.

Carrow ignored her and looked at the Gryffindors. "Mr. Longbottom? Surely you _must_ know the incantation?" The teacher drawled, clearly enjoying himself.

Neville gritted his teeth. Carrow's remark was clearly angled at Neville's parents, and Neville refused to give the man the satisfaction of seeing him angry.

Amycus seemed disappointed by the lack of response, but he moved on. "No? All right then, Ms. Parkinson. Could you please tell the class?"

Pansy smiled. "The incantation for the Cruciatus Curse is 'Crucio'." She said happily.

"Very good. Ten points to Slytherin."

A nervous knocking on the door interrupted the teacher. He smiled cruelly. "Come in."

Anthony Goldstein stepped into the classroom, his eyes darting around nervously. When they met Neville's, the other boy smiled weakly, and Neville grinned back, hoping that it was encouraging.

Amycus grabbed Anthony's arm and dragged the Ravenclaw forward. "Now, for today's lesson, we will be practicing this curse." He sounded excited. "On a real test subject."

Neville saw Anthony tense.

"You can't do that!"

Neville hadn't even realized he had stood up until he saw Lavender looking up at him from her seat.

"Excuse me Mr. Longbottom?" The Carrow's voice was like ice. "Are you the teacher, or am I?"

Neville hesitated, and then mentally berated himself. _Don't let him get to you!_ He snapped in his mind.

"Well, you aren't much of a teacher, to curse your own students." Neville responded coolly.

Then he let out a short, involuntary cry as he felt a sharp, violent pain on his cheek. He slowly reached up and touched the throbbing area; his hand came down sticky with blood.

"Someone please take Mr. Longbottom to the Hospital Wing." The man said, sounding bored.

Several Gryffindors volunteered, but Carrow looked at the Slytherins.

Neville figured none of them would offer, but to his shock, Theodore Nott's hand raised somewhat hesitantly.

Carrow also seemed surprised. "Alright, Nott. But I expect you back in no less than five minutes."

Nott nodded and quickly stood up, hurrying over to Neville.

The two boys left the class without speaking and made their way to the Hospital Wing. Halfway there, Nott stopped. "I expect you can get yourself the rest of the way there?" He asked.

Neville nodded, and Nott turned to head back.

Loud enough so the retreating Slytherin could hear, Neville said. "It's pathetic how you can't think for yourself. You just do everything they say. Or do you enjoy it?"

"Did you ever think that maybe we're just as scared as the rest of you?"

Neville was shocked the Nott had responded. He turned to face the other boy, but the reedy Slytherin hadn't turned and his back was still to Neville. But he had stopped.

"Yeah, some of us are just as scared, maybe even more scared." He continued. "But we don't have anyone trying to help us face that fear. Instead, everyone expects us to become a part of it. So we do. Think about it." And with that, the Slytherin turned the corner and vanished back to the lesson.

* * *

><p><p>

Anthony had woken up partway through Neville's story.

"Well, that explains a lot." He said when he heard about Nott's lecture.

The other two boys looked at him questioningly.

He struggled to a sitting position. "Well, when he came back to the class, he was told to curse me. I mean, I think he was. I was already kind of out of it when he got back."

Seamus winced.

Anthony smiled tiredly at him. "It wasn't so bad. They weren't really that good at the curse yet. And the Gyffindors barely tried at all." He frowned. "Well, Crabbe and Goyle were actually okay at it, but other than them it wasn't bad."

"But what about Nott?" Neville asked, and then bit his lip as he realized how cold-hearted he had just sounded. "I mean…"

Anthony properly grinned this time. "It's fine, I know what you mean. Anyway, Nott apparently said that he'd prefer not to use the curse."

The other two stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Come again?" Seamus said incredulously.

At the same time, Neville also spoke. "But isn't his dad a Death Eater?"

Seamus glanced at his roommate. "Why does that matter?"

Neville shrugged. "I guess, I always just assumed…" Then Nott's words came back to him. _'Everyone expects us to become a part of that fear.'_

"Like father like son?" Anthony finished the sentence that Neville had stopped saying.

"Yeah…"

Seamus again attempted to sit up, but lay down after a moment. "You all right Nev?" He asked, sounding worried.

Neville nodded vigorously, trying to clear his head. "I guess… I guess we always did just assume that the Slytherins were 'bad guys'." He said hesitantly. He looked at the others. "We're always getting mad at them for stereotyping _us_, and putting _us_ into a group. But I guess we've kind of been doing the same to them."

**A/N: Seriously though, everyone is getting mad at the Slytherins for being evil, but they don't ever try to help them _not_ be that way. Anyway, this is kind of a filler, and while I like the message, I'm not quite sure what I think of the chapter as a whole. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated ^^**

**Oh, and the next chapter will probably be a filler-type thing as well. I'm low on inspiration right now, plus school is killing me. Stupid Chem. Anyway, review!**

**ZoeM out ;)**


	9. Unnaturally Normal

**Disclaimer: My name begins with an M. An M is not a J. Therefore, I cannot be J.K. Rowling, sad as it is :P**

**Unnaturally Normal**

A furious Amycus Carrow had dragged Theo to one side after class.

"What was that Nott?" He hissed.

Nott winced. "I just…"

"Just what? Decided to suddenly side with those no-good Gryffindors?"

Theo shook his head, his earlier resolve crumbling. "No! No I…"

But Carrow wasn't listening anymore. He shoved the boy towards the door. "You better decided who's side you're on soon." The man said. "Or you'll be trapped in no-man's land with curses flying at you from both sides."

Nott watched him leaving for lunch, a hollow feeling in his stomach. He had tried. But he chickened out when it mattered, just like he always did.

"Hey, Nott."

Theo looked up to find Blaise Zabini staring at him from across the Dark Arts classroom.

"You want to talk?"

Theo nodded hopefully.

Blaise sighed. "Alright. I'll meet you behind the portrait tonight."

Theo felt a little better as his eyes followed the retreating boy.

"You look like you're in love Theo." A teasing voice came from his right.

He looked up, startled, and Pansy laughed. "What? You do!"

"Wh…why are you here?" He managed to get out.

"I was worried when you weren't at lunch, so I came looking for you." She said.

Theo smiled at her. "Thanks." And the two of them headed for the Great Hall, like they had everyday the year before.

Theo smiled to himself.

"What's with the grin, Nott?" Pansy asked him.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just… I'm starting to feel normal again."

* * *

><p>Sammy Victor had been released from the Hospital Wing around the same time Seamus had been brought in. The sight of the limp seventh year had scared the Hufflepuff boy badly, but it had also made him mad.<p>

What had happened to _his_ Hogwarts? The one where Dumbledore said odd things at the Opening Feast, where losing the Quidditch cup was the worst thing that could happen, where blood status was just an interesting tidbit of information that nobody really cared about? Sammy didn't know.

What he did know was that he wanted it back. But how?

He decided to skip dinner and headed straight for the dorms, his mind in a whirl. He was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't see Romilda Vane until he ran into her.

"I am so sorry!" He exclaimed as he helped her gather her books.

The sixth year Gryffindor smiled at him. "Oh, it's fine." She assured him. "By the way, how're you feeling?"

Sammy blinked, but then he remembered that Romilda had been in his Dark Arts class.

"Oh, I'm fine. Madame Pomfrey managed to staunch the bleeding pretty quickly."

Romilda nodded, but kept walking with him. "So have you already been to dinner?"

Sammy shook his head. "I was only just released. But I'm not very hungry."

"Oh posh!" She exclaimed, balancing her books under one arm and grabbing his hand. "All boys your age are hungry! You're coming to the Great Hall."

Sammy tried to resist at first, but he quickly gave in, feeling somewhat dizzy. He was acutely aware of Romilda's hand in his, and it was making him flush.

"You don't look so good." Romilda noted as they entered the hall. "Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey again?"

Sammy shook his head, at the same time dislodging his hand from Romilda's. "No… no I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy."

Romilda immediately looked contrite. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm the one who forced you to come…"

Sammy shook his head again. "It's alright. I probably shouldn't starve myself."

Romilda grinned. "Okay. Well, I'll see you in class tomorrow!"

Sammy watched her walking over to the Gryffindor table and allowed himself a tiny smile. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

><p>Anthony and Seamus had been released simultaneously, but only because Madame Pomfrey had needed the space, and Anthony had insisted that he could stand.<p>

As the two boys headed for dinner, they saw Lavender and Parvati, who were talking animatedly near the library.

"Hello girls!" Seamus called.

Parvati looked up, and a huge grin appeared across her face. "Shay!"

In seconds, both girls had squished the Irish boy into a group hug.

"Anthony, get over here." Lavender laughed, dragging the Ravenclaw into the embrace.

Anthony grinned, embarrassed, but he allowed himself to be pulled over.

After a moment like this, the girls released the two.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

Seamus smiled at Parvati. "I'm fine." He promised

"Are you okay Anthony?" Lavender asked him.

He nodded, and she suddenly started crying.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" The Ravenclaw awkwardly pulled her into a hug again.

"I-I just- I'm so sorry!" She wailed, burrowing into him. "I didn't want too! I didn't, I shouldn't have…"

Anthony blinked, confused as to what she was saying. Then he remembered that she had been forced to curse him earlier.

"It's fine." He said, knowing it wasn't enough.

Lavender nodded, still sniffling, and released him. "I, um…"

He shook his head. No words were needed.

Seamus and Parvati looked back and forth between the two.

"Ten pounds says they get together before the year is up." Seamus whispered to the Patil twin beside him.

Parvati looked at him, stunned.

"How can you be so calm about this?" She whispered back. "Things are changing, Shay! Now isn't the time to be betting on who is going to date who!"

Seamus shrugged. "Well, I figured that we needed a little normal before our lives are so screwed up that it's hard to remember what normal is." He explained.

Parvati looked at him, then smiled slightly. "Alright, you're on."

**A/N: I am so sorry! I really don't have an excuse for why this has taken so long to upload (It's been sitting in my folder for a year) other than a loss of interest. I've found my muse again, though, so assuming school work remains as light as it has, and my college counselor doesn't bug me too much, I should hopefully have another chapter up by next week.**

**Again, so sorry about the delay,**

**ZoeM**


	10. Connections

**Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yada**

**Connections**

Luna wasn't sure what to expect in her first Muggle Studies class, but she wasn't surprised when it went horribly wrong.

The sixth-year Ravenclaws shared their hour in hell with the Hufflepuffs, which made things a bit better, but not by much.

"So… does anyone know anything about Alecto's punishment methods?" A Hufflepuff boy asked nervously.

His classmates shook their heads, but the Ravenclaw sitting beside Luna nodded.

"I've heard that she's more fear-based than her brother." She said. "So it isn't a physical attack, it's mental." The petite brunette smiled wryly. "So in a way she's actually intelligent."

"Well that's a scary thought." Another Ravenclaw muttered. "Who would've thought that the fatties from hell would actually have a brain?"

The brunette who had spoken earlier, Amanda, looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "Fatties from hell? Really Ethan? Very creative."

Ethan was about to retort, but a certain fatty from hell chose to walk in at that moment.

"Alright class, let's begin. And Mr. Prewitt, I expect to see you in my office before dinner today."

Ethan paled, but nodded as Alecto began passing out pink flyers to the students.

"Excuse me?" Amanda raised her hand nervously. "What are these? Are we not using our books?"

Alecto smiled, but it mad her look even uglier. "Of course we will use our books at a later time, but I thought that these were more relevant to today's lesson."

Luna looked curiously at the heading, and frowned slightly.

**_Mudbloods, and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society._**

Amanda hissed something uncomplimentary under her breath.

"This is bull!" Ethan snapped, clearly having lost any sense of self-preservation.

Alecto turned cold eyes onto him. "And what would you know about it Mr. Prewitt?" She asked coldly. "Did you write this? No. And so you have no room to be saying…"

"He might have." Luna said idly, causing several classmates to roll their eyes. "No, really. A Nixer might have gotten into his head…"

"That's quite enough, Ms. Lovegood." Alecto snapped, starting to become annoyed.

"Why should she? Nixers are bound to be more interesting than whatever crap you're going to try and feed us." Ethan grumbled.

Alecto's wand was out in an instant and Ethan cried out, clutching his shoulder, which was now bleeding profusely.

"And the 'brain' rumor is proven false." Amanda murmured.

"Do you have something to say to the class Ms. Enrich?" Alecto said, turning her wand tip towards the girl.

Amanda shook her head quickly. "No Ma'am, nothing."

Alecto narrowed her eyes. "Good." She then launched into a heavily biased speech about how mudbloods were disgusting, magic stealing slugs who had to be eradicated as soon as possible.

Luna had tuned her out and was staring at the ceiling, trying to make patterns out of the random splotches caused by several misfired spells over the years that no one had bothered to clean up.

It was a long two hours.

Finally…

"Luna. Hey, Luna!"

The pretty Ravenclaw blinked at looked over at her classmate. "Hmm?"

"Class is over." Ethan said shortly, turning to get his books and leave.

Luna nodded, grabbing her book bag and wandering out of the classroom. Only when she reached her next class did she realize that Ethan had called her by her real name.

So maybe Muggle Studies hadn't been all bad.

* * *

><p>The Hufflepuff common room was oddly cheerful as Leanne stepped in. The air had somehow resumed its old feeling of warmth, and she even spotted a couple of girls actually giggling. It brought back memories of times when everyone wasn't scared for their lives, and it made Leanne grin as well.<p>

"What's going on?" She asked the closest person.

Hannah giggled. "Ernie's going to confess to Susan!"

Leanne blinked, and then grinned. "Finally!" She squealed happily. "He's been mooning over her for years! It was really starting to get annoying."

Hannah laughed. "Tell me about it."

The two girls spotted Susan entering the common room at the same time as everyone else, and the room became silent, save for a few excited whispers from the younger students.

Susan looked extremely nervous with all eyes on her, but she kept walking confidently, her stride perfectly masking the confusion and slight fear that her eyes were betraying.

Ernie met her halfway.

Leanne didn't hear what he whispered to Susan, but the other girl turned bright red, and she looked unsure whether she should laugh or cry.

She settled for kissing him.

The common room erupted into squeals and laughter, the former from the girls, the later from the boys.

Susan and Ernie barely noticed the other kids.

Leanne grinned, blushing slightly herself. She had never had a boyfriend, and she had always wondered what it would be like to have a guy ask her out.

Hannah nudged her slightly. "Come on, let's leave the happy couple alone for a bit."

Leanne glanced back at Susan and Ernie, still standing face-to-face in the center of the common room, smiling slightly, oblivious to the sea of teenagers slowly trickling around them.

She sighed, a sad smile tugging on her own lips as she headed for the girl's dorm.

Right now, they were the happiest people alive. _But how long can happiness last with the Carrows in charge?_

* * *

><p>Dean blinked in the harsh light trickling in from the sagging roof above him. How long had it been since he had first run off? A few weeks? Months? He couldn't tell anymore. Everyday was just run-hide-eat-sleep, a never-ending circle.<p>

A scuffling snapped his drowsy mind into full fight-or-flight and he leapt up from his position curled on the floor. He winced slightly as his back complained about the hard floor it once again had been subjected too, but quickly regained his composure, pulling out his wand.

A moment later, a scruffy rat appeared from the shadows cast in the corners of the room, and Dean relaxed. False alarm. The young fugitive stowed his wand in his pocket and crouched down, looking at the scrawny creature.

"You scavenging too?" He asked it. His voice was slightly scratched from lack of use. He wondered distantly if he was going insane, talking to a rat.

The rat, of course, didn't respond, simply scampered past him and into another shadow. Dean sighed and stood up.

_Even the rats don't want to be near me._

He pulled a sweater over his shoulders and headed for the door of the house, only to be stopped by insistent squeaking noises. He wasn't sure what compelled him to turn back to the rat, but he did, suddenly worried that it was injured.

But when he checked the rat had gone, vanished between gaps in the floorboards. Dean again turned back towards the door, but as he reached for the handle he heard voices.

"Yeah, it was around here. Fenrir said he smelt something."

"There ain't nothin' here Scabior! Fenrir's gone soft."

"Eh, don't say that! He's a werewolf man, you really want to piss him off?"

A muttered phrase from the other Snatcher was all Dean heard before the two men's footsteps faded.

He counted a solid two minutes before slowly easing open the door. He cast one last look at the place the rat had been. Had the little creature not started squeaking, chances were that Dean would have walked right in front of the Snatchers.

_Thanks._

Dean raced across the alley and took to the woods, searching for the next bit of shelter that could protect him from the wizards who wanted him dead.

**A/N: Okay, so this wasn't uploaded as fast as I thought, and I don't know when the next one's going to be up. I've got exams this week, and AP Physics is going to be the death of me. But while I'm still inspired, I have no idea what the next chapter should be about. So if there's a particular character you want to see, or a certain scene/class, feel free to leave a review or shoot me a PM. I ****_will_**** try to update this a bit faster, maybe, but I don't want to promise anything DX Thanks to everyone who's putting up with my crummy updating schedule! Love you guys forever!**

**ZoeM**


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